Card Captor Touya
by Kosh25
Summary: What would happen if Sakura wasn't the only Kinomoto out card captoring? My story follows Touya thoughout his card captoring adventures as he hunts down and collects cards.
1. Remembering

Prologue  
  
The cold wind blew against my frail, pink skin as I walked through the moonlit forest. It was bitterly cold out, and the wind chill didn't make it any warmer. I didn't care, though; my mind was on other things at the moment. I could never seem to stop and enjoy anything anymore; I guess life is never that peaceful when you're a Clow card. I had just received word from Windy that several more of my fellow Clow cards had been hunted down by the dreaded Clow Mistress. What did that make now, six? I sighed as I sat by the trunk of a particularly dreary-looking Maple tree. I felt so helpless; so weak. If the others couldn't defeat her, what makes me think I could? The fact of the matter was, I couldn't. I, the great Power, was nothing compair to the Clow mistress. I could feel tears beginning to build up in my eyes as I thought about going back to the book of Clow. I could remember clearly the hundreds of years I and the others had spent locked inside that book. I remember how it felt to be blind and deaf, not being able to see, hear, or touch anything. All I could do was think. So I thought, and I thought some more. Entertaining for the first few years, I grant you, but it soon became so incredibly dull that I was almost driven to insanity. I didn't want to go back to that! I would do anything to avoid going back! But the truth was, I WAS going back, whether I liked it or not. I could just sit and wait for her to hunt me down.  
I felt a teardrop roll down my cheek. It had been a long time since I had cried, probably a few centuries. Clow Reed created me to be the strongest of the cards, both physically and emotionally. He would be so ashamed of me if he saw me now. I had failed him, just like I had failed everyone else. I dropped my head into my hands and cried some more. 


	2. A 'Captor is born

_Sentences written in 's represent a Clow card's thought-speech Breaks in the story marked with =------='s represent a jump in time_

Enjoy!

**Chapter 1**

It was cold. It was _damn_ cold. I'm not kidding, it was really freaking cold! I hated field trips. Especially mid-April 'End of Senior year' camping trips. I mean, I'm all for the concept of missing classes and hanging out with friends, but there are certain things about this trip that sorta took away from the overall fun level of the trip. Sleeping outside in sub-zero temperatures with ghosts off all kinds floating about what NOT my idea of a good time. Ever seen the Blair Witch Project? That was basically what the forest sounds like to someone with a sixth sense, like myself. It sucks. So there I sat, freezing my ass off, curled up in a sleeping bag and using a tree stump as a pillow. Everyone else had long since fallen fast asleep, but I found it a bit more difficult, hearing the far off shrieks and wails of the deceased. I had been lying there for a good 3 hours when I heard a peculiar sound. It wasn't one of the eerie background noises that ghosts make, but it was something else. I almost sounded like... someone crying. I debated on whether or not I should leave the warmth and comfort of my sleeping bag to go examine further, but I could not bring myself to just ignore it. I pulled on my shoes and quietly started towards the sound.

As I came closer and closer to it, I started getting a really weird feeling. It wasn't the feeling I get when I sense a ghost, and certainly not anything worldly, but rather something in-between. After about 10 minutes of looking I was about to head back, it was just too damn cold to be walking around like this. As I turned to head back I caught sight of a small, fragile-looking girl curled up and crying at the base of a nearby tree. She had strangely pointed ears with very large earrings, and wore baggy pink pants and a pink top. Very odd looking indeed. I silently approached her and sat down next to her.

"Are you okay?"

The girl's face was in her cupped hands while she sobbed so I don't think she knew I was there until I talked. She jumped in surprise and stared at me in shock.

W-wrong?! Nothing's wrong!! She quickly tried to wipe her tears off her face with her sleeve.

"Doesn't look that way..."

Look! It's none of your business! (Sniff) I... I just had something in my eye!

Whatever she was, she was very prideful. "I just want to help. Obviously something's wrong. Why don't we-"

I SAID THERE'S NOTHING FUCKING WRONG!!!! She angrily pushed me away, funny thing was, her little push sent me flying some 20 feet into the air. I hit a tree hard and landed with a resounding 'CRACK', meaning that I had most likely broken something. For a fragile looking 12-year-old, she was pretty god-damn strong. Of course, I didn't really have time to question her about it, as I was, at the moment, blinded by pain.

Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!! The little girl ran over to me and knelt next to my withering body. W-What's broken?! Are you okay?!

I couldn't seem to breathe too well, as every breath sent another jolt of pain through my body. I guess it was the lack of air or the phenomenal amount of pain I was in, but I couldn't seem to answer her.

Is it your arms?! Legs?!

I shook my head 'no'.

Ribs?

Yeah. I think that was it. I held my breath and nodded my head 'yes'.

I need to get you some help! Don't move, I'll-

Suddenly, I found that I could no longer breathe. Collapsed lung? Blocked throat? I didn't know. All I knew was that I wasn't getting any air. I struggled, trying to move, but the intense pain stopped me. It wasn't long before I just gave in and passed out.

=---------------=

It wasn't for several hours that I finally regained consciousness. To my surprise, I found that I was no longer lying in the forest. Rather, I was actually lying on a couch in someone's house. I glanced down at my shirt and saw it stained with blood. Carefully I lifted my shirt and found, oddly enough, that the wound had completely healed. Bones and all.

I see that you're awake. I was starting to get worried.

I turned my head and saw the little girl sitting beside me; she had this look of irreputable guilt on her face. She lowered her head and stared at the ground, I'm so sorry... I lied on the couch for a few minutes, trying to collect my thoughts. Nothing made any sense. How was this tiny, innocent-looking little girl in pink able to crack my ribs by just giving me a simple push? And what about my wound? How could it just suddenly heal up like that?

I pulled myself up so that I was sitting upward on the couch. I decided to start with the easy questions and work my way up, "Where am I?"

This is my apartment. It's not far from the camping grounds, about 4 miles.

"You carried me four miles!?" This kid blew my mind. How the heck is it possible for her to posses such incredible strength?

I... uh...

I could feel my sixth sense going nuts; telling me again and again how unnatural she was, "Look, I know you're not human, and I know you're not a ghost. So what, exactly, are you?"

The little girl sighed, I probably shouldn't tell you, but I guess I owe you an explanation. She sighed and looked into my eyes, I'm not a natural-born person. I was... created.

"...What?"

She nervously twiddled her thumbs and started at her feet, Have you ever wondered why you have your sixth sense?

"I always figured I just used more of the brain than others or something."

The girl smiled, It's a little more complex than that. You see, the reason you posses your abilities is because you harbor the potential to use magic.

I raised a skeptical eyebrow, Magic? I think my explanation was a little more believable.

Is it any more believable that me, a tiny little girl, breaking your ribs with a simple push? Magic is what you use every time you see a ghost, magic is the reason why I am so unnaturally strong, and magic is what I used to heal your wounds.

I glanced down again at the spot where my wound once was, "Point taken. Now, you still haven't answered my question."

She cleared her throat, My 'creator', like many people during his time, used magic. Unlike many people, however, he was exceptionally good at it. He possessed enough power to create life forms out of his own thoughts. Elements like wind, fire, water, and earth became actual physical beings. Obviously, he needed some control over this new life, so he sealed them all into cards and placed them in a magically captive book. Whenever he needed to use one, he would simply remove a card and release it.

"Makes sense."

What do you think happened after he passed on?

"My guess is that he'd probably let you all free. What use could he have for you once he's dead?"

Unfortunately for us, my master was not so generous. He thought we were 'too unpredictable' and sealed us all back inside the book. After a little moving around, we ended up waiting a few centuries before we were released.

"That's brutal. What did you do all that time?"

Nothing! We couldn't move, we couldn't see, we couldn't hear; we just sat there.

"Must've been kinda boring."

It was torture! All I could do is think! After a few centuries, you've basically thought of everything interesting. You can imagine my relief when we where freed and allowed to run around.

"How did you escape?"

Someone with strong magical powers released the seal unintentionally. Needless to say, we all to that opportunity to book it out of there. Problem is, my master, Clow Reed, also placed a Guardian on the cover, who recruited the girl who opened the book shortly after our escape. Now the heartless witch is hunting us down, one by one, and capturing us. We've tried fighting this 'Clow Mistress', but her magical strength is too much for any one of us to go up against. I'm afraid we're just not powerful enough, and with every passing week she captures more and more helpless cards.

"Is that what you where crying about earlier?"

Power balled her hands into fists as her face turned red, I WASN'T CRYING!!!

"Okay Okay!! Just don't hit me!" God, she was touchy as hell when you mentioned that whole crying thing.

ANYway... She shifted uncomfortably and stared at her tiny, gloved hands. While you were unconconsious I did some thinking and.... I wanted to ask you a favor.

"Yes?"

Well... I think the reason we keep losing to the Clow Mistress is because we are separated. We just aren't powerful enough one-on-one. If we could get ourselves organized, we might be able to beat her.

"So what do you want me to do?"

I wanted to know if you could help me... 'recruit' more of my fellow Clow cards. If you could capture enough cards before the Clow Mistress gets to them, we could actually have a chance at defeating her. That is, of course, unless you don't want to.

Find and capture Clow cards? If the other cards where anywhere as powerful as she was, I don't think I'd last too long in a fight.

"I'd love too, but I don't know the first thing about card capturing. Besides, I don't think I'd be much of a match against them anyway."

I've already thought of that. If you are willing, I can give you a Guardian Beast, like the one who trained the Clow mistress. It will teach you everything it knows about the Clow cards and will also help you develop your dormant magical abilities.

"...I guess. I mean, I only have to find a few of them, right? It shouldn't be all that hard."

Great! We'll meet up in the park tomorrow afternoon and I can introduce you to your Guardian Beast!

I turned to leave, "By the way, I don't think you ever told me your name."

It's Power. Nice meeting you... uh...

"Touya Kinomoto." I would've shook her hand, but I'd rather not of gotten back to the camp with a dislocated shoulder.

Power smiled and waved as I headed out the door. It was going to be a long hike back.

=---------------=

"Touya! Wake up, man! Why the heck do you keep falling asleep?" Yuki shook me out of my peaceful slumber and back into reality, where I had been fast asleep on Yuki's shoulder.

I rubbed my eyes and yawned, "Sorry, Yuki. I guess I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Yeah, it was pretty cold out. Took me a while to get warm too." He sat up and peeked out the window, "We're almost back to the school; you might want to get your stuff together."

I pulled my bag out from overhead and waited for the bus to stop. I was still feeling groggy from the hike back, as well as the lack of sleep. The bus screeched to a stop in front of my school and the students filed out. Now all I had to do was endure a few more classes and I was out of there. I waited up for Yuki and headed into my next class.

=--------------=

The classes were excruciatingly long, not to mention boring as all hell. You could not believe my relief when the final bell rang and we were freed. I snatched my bag off the ground and dashed out the door. After unlocking the chain on my bike, I sped off towards the park. I didn't like the idea of leaving Sakura alone on her trip back home, but Yuki promised he'd 'escort' her back.

As expected, I found a little girl lying against a tree in the middle of the park; she absent-mindedly picked the pedals off a flower as she waited.

"Hey, Power."

Power looked at me and smiled, It's about time! What kept you?

"Sheesh, I can only pedal so fast." I pulled down the kickstand and leaned my bike against the tree, "So, where do we start?"

Follow me. Power motioned towards the woods just south of the park. I followed her until we reached a small divot in the ground. She threw her fist into the ground, sinking it in up to her shoulder, then pulled up a black and bronze colored book out of the dirt. It was worn and old as the dickens, and had all this weird English writing scribbled over the front.

This spellbook used to belong to a Necromancer by the name of Rijak, who lived during the Crusades. She wiped off the excess dirt from the cover, In England, of course.

"In England? How did it end buried here?"

Rijak was slain in an unfortunate misunderstanding with the locals, and his/her loyal knight and servant, Sir Drake, brought it to Japan. Since most of the Japanese at the time were not familiar with western magic, they could not use the book. He buried it here and cast a final spell which would transform him into the book's Guardian Beast. He has been asleep ever since, protecting this book from outsiders.

"So I will be learning how to use my magic from some Second Century Crusader? Does he even speak Japanese?"

Of course he does, what kind of Sorcerer would Rijak have been if he or she couldn't even interpret Eastern symbols? Seeing as how Sir Drake was Rijak's apprentice and protector, I'm sure she/he gave him a run-down of Japanese basics. She blew a layer of dirt out from the top, Besides, I think he will appreciate getting a little air. It has been a while. She closed her eyes and began to chant some ancient English summoning spell. A feint blue glow formed around the book as it lifted out of her hands and floated in front of me.

Oh great and powerful Guardian Beast! We have come to ask a favor of you. A man by the name of Touya seeks your guidance; will you answer his call?

The book's glow intensified as it began to tremble. I took a step back, not knowing what to expect. Suddenly, there was a bright flash as the book began to fold and crumple, like a sheet of paper. It collapsed into itself until it was roughly the size of a baseball, then shaped itself into a perfect circle. The light died out, and a small, black, baseball-sized ball dropped at my feet.

"What the..." I picked the object off the ground and inspected it. Just then, two very large white eyes opened. They had no pupils or pigments of any kind, and were both oval shaped, covering a third of the creature's body. It stared blankly at me for several seconds, and I stared back. I decided to break the silence.

"Uh... hi." I cleared my throat, "Power here said that you might be able to hel-"

That cut off at the end was caused when the creature suddenly leaped out of my hands and latched onto my face, covering my mouth. Panicked, I grabbed the creature and tried to pull it off, but it held on as tight as it could. I could only watch as it shot out several tendrils, which restrained my legs and arms. Suddenly, the creature itself seemed to melt, spreading itself across my entire body and covering it like a black rubber. I tried to breathe, but the creature had blocked both my nose and mouth. I furiously tried to pry it off, but it now was elastic, and almost impossible to stretch. Just as I was about to pass out from lack of air, the black surface cleared away from my face, leaving the area from my neck up free from its grasp.

"Power!! Get it offa me! It's trying to kill me!"

Calm down, Touya. It's only bonding with your body. This way, it can easily view and maintain your body's magic reserves.

"What if I don't want him screwing around in my body? Why the heck didn't you tell me about this?!"

At least give it a try, Touya. Drake is a kindhearted, noble person. I'm sure the two of you can easily share a body. Think positive!

"I'll show you positive!" Struggled to wrap my arms around her scrawny neck, but Drake had me firmly restrained, "Let me go you freaking piece of- " My voice was silenced as a cheery, English-accented, and surprisingly female voice echoed through my head.

Calm down, master Touya! I won't hurt you!

"Wh... how..."

Allow me to introduce myself; I am your mentor, Sir Drake. If you have any questions regarding your developing magical abilities, please don't hesitate to ask.

"How's about letting me go first?"

Of course. My restraints were only a precaution.

I relaxed my muscles as she loosened her grip, "I thought you were a guy."

Guardian Beasts don't really have a gender. Everyone probably thought that I was a guy because I WAS a guy during the Crusades. I just tend to go with a female body, as it reflects more on my personality.

"Oh."

She squirmed around a bit, causing a chill to run up my spine. You have no idea how weird it felt to have her literally covering my body.

I see that you are quite adequate in the physical sense! I don't think that an exercise regiment will be necessary. That leaves the small task of developing you magical abilities.

I took that first part in a stride, hoping she just meant I was 'in shape' and not, well, _checking me out_ "What 'magical abilities' exactly?"

Well, your card capturing skills of course! If you're gonna fight the other Clow cards, you have to at least be able to capture a card.

"And how, per say, will you be doing this?"

I will be steadily releasing your dormant energy, and feeding it into your bloodstream. Once you have reached a 'saturation' point, you will be able to call forth your powers and use them in your card capturing.

I picked myself off the ground and glanced down at my body, where the skintight black 'skin' covered my entire body like a wetsuit, "I can't go into public like this! I'll have to put my clothes on over you in order to conceal your skin."

Uh... I don't think you can do that. I kinda have to be on the outside in order to regulate your negative energy. Wait a second.

Drake shifted her body around, rising and twisting all over the place. It felt weird as hell. When she was done, she had formed herself into a perfect replica of my clothes (My old ones had been 'expelled' during the bonding process. As nasty as that might sound).

Seeing that I was done talking, and that Drake had fully bonded, Power walked over, Now Touya, I need you two to get used to each other. You two are going to need to be an efficient team if you're going to capture any cards.

I was still pretty pissed off at Power for not telling me all of the details about my 'guide', but I was tired and disoriented from the bonding, and I sure as hell didn't feel up to an argument. "Should I come back here tomorrow for more instructions?"

From here on out, you will be the one who will be able to sense nearby Clow cards, not me. I can't guide you any more.

"I guess this is goodbye then."

Goodbye? Who said anything about leaving? If I can still serve a purpose, I'm not going anywhere.

"What?"

She closed her eyes and hovered off the ground. Her pink aura steadily increased until it was a blinding light. She motioned for me to hold her hand. I squinted and was able to grab her hand through the swirling winds and flashing light. There was a bright flash as her whole body became energy. I closed my eyes to block out the light, but I still held onto her hand. Suddenly, I felt a sudden jolt, forcing my eyes open. Resting in my palm was a small, dark colored card. It, like Rijak's book, had bronze edges and a dark blue background. In the middle I saw a picture of Power, with her name located beneath.

"A Clow card?"

Power still wishes to be a service to you, so she gave you her power. If you ever wish to make use of her strength, simply release the card.

"I'll put it to good use." I stuffed the card in my pocket and grabbed my bike off the tree, "Let's get going. It's getting late."

=---------------=

I got home not long after my meeting with Power. I tossed my backpack on my bed and collapsed into my chair. Today was Friday, which meant that it was my turn to cook dinner for everyone.

"Hey Drake, do you... you know... eat anything? I need to know if I should make extra or not."

Don't worry about me, master Touya! I don't have a mouth or stomach to eat with; I simply absorb your magic to keep me going.

"Oh. Uh. Alright..." I got up and had Drake change herself out of my school uniform and into a sweatshirt and pants. I walked to the bathroom and splashed some water in my face to wake me up a bit, then proceeded down the stairs and into the kitchen.

I pulled out all the necessary items for making dinner and took a quick glance around the room. Fortunately, both my Dad and Sakura were upstairs, meaning that I could talk to Drake without looking like a lunatic.

"So! Drake, tell me about yourself. I'm sure you must have some cool stories from the Crusades."

Oh this and that! What's to tell! I lived most of my life as a loyal knight before accepting Rijak as my mentor. I of course had to change from a girl to a guy for the war, which was a little weird but... well... I wanted adventure. And I certainly found it!

"What did Rijak teach you?"

Basically everything there is to know about Western magic. Rijak tried to teach me some of the basics of Eastern magic, but it was quite difficult to grasp at the time.

"Why? What's the difference between western and eastern magic?"

They are complete opposites. East is light, West is Dark. Almost like night and day.

"Does that mean that I will be learning Dark magic?"

Yes! Fortunately for you, a lot of the Western magic was created to be used as a weapon in the Crusades. Your Card Captoring will rely less on strategy and more on simply beating each card into submission.

"Cool." I wasn't one to resort to unnecessary violence to solve my problems, but, as I said before, if the other cards were anywhere near as powerful as Power, then perhaps simple brute strength might be the way to go.

I finished up dinner and called for Sakura and my dad to come down. They seated themselves and began to eat.

As we were all happily chowing down, Sakura glanced up from her meal and looked at me, "Hey Touya, I noticed you kinda left school in a hurry this afternoon."

"I had to meet someone in the park."

"That's okay, Li walked me home."

My grip tightened around my chopsticks as I heard that accursed name, "Don't tell me you were talking to that little Chinese brat again!"

"He's not a brat! He's very nice once you get to know him. You should give him a chance!"

My father was way ahead of this discussion and decided it was time for a subject change, "Did I tell you guys about my business trip this week? I'm going to be lecturing at a university in Osaka for a few days; should be interesting."

"How long are you gonna be gone?"

"About a week. Nothing you guys can't handle, I'm sure."

"No problem." I finished up my dish and started on the dishes. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Sakura grab two jello cups for desert and dash upstairs. I couldn't fathom how she was able to smuggle so much food into her room and not gain any weight. It was weird.

I take it you are not overly fond of this 'Li' guy, are you?

"No. No I am not."

Perhaps you should take your sister up on her suggestion. Maybe you should give him another chance.

"I abandoned any chance of forming a peaceful co-existence with that punk after I saw what he was trying to do to Sakura the day he transferred in. Nobody touches my sister like that."

I closed the dishwasher and headed upstairs. I was so tied from today that I had neither the strength nor the will to start on my homework. I could always do it tomorrow. Drake shifted herself into a pair of PJs as I plopped into bed. It didn't take long from me to fall fast asleep.

=---------------=

I had this really screwed-up dream after I dozed off. I guess I could call it a nightmare, but for a person who can see the gruesome, mutilated ghost of every car accident and suicide attempt in the town's long, long history, my definition of horror was slightly higher that the norm.

It was scary none the less. It started off with me standing next to Power and several other odd-looking people; Clow cards, I assumed. Standing in front of me with its weapon drawn was a threatening, shadowy figure. I could feel an overwhelming power radiating from inside of it, just waiting to be released. I knew this was my enemy. Power placed a hand on my shoulder and nodded. It was time to attack. I drew my sword and sprinted towards the creature. It started to block, but I was too fast. With one solid thrust, I had impaled the figure with my sword.

The figure dropped its staff and fell to its knees. It looked at the sword in its chest, then looked up at me. My heart froze. All I could do was stare into its terrified brown eyes as the life slowly drained out of its body. It was me. I was looking into my own eyes. This person I had just killed was none other than my very own self. His eyes closed as tears rolled down his cheeks, "Please... don't hurt Sakura." He took a weak, shaky breath, "She never did anything to deserve this..." He fell onto his side and slowly slumped to the ground. Dead.

I couldn't stand any more of this. I was about to turn away when I noticed a dark red stain on my shirt. It was the sword wound. The same wound which had killed him was now killing me. "No... I can't die. I have to be there for her. I can't leave her alone!" I started to run, but I couldn't outrun death. It was always there, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. My vision blurred as I fell to my knees, I could feel the end coming.

I tried in vain to pull myself to my feet, but they simply would not respond. I took a deep breath and mustered my strength. I started to get up, but I couldn't move my legs. I tried to reach out, but my arms were tied to the ground. I couldn't move. I managed to sputter out a weak, quivering 'help me' before hitting the ground hard. I guess that's all that was needed to snap me out of my dream, for I soon found myself out of the dream and back into reality.

When I awoke I was lying on my bed, covered in sweat. For a few minutes I just stared at the ceiling, collecting my thoughts. I hadn't had a nightmare in years, I guess I had forgotten what they were like; Confusing, cryptic, and disturbing.

I yawned and sat upright in my bed. I waited a few seconds for my eyes to readjust, then glanced around my room. Just then, I realized that there was something lying in the middle of my room, curled up and sleeping. I analyzed it for a few seconds and realized that it was a person; a woman, to be exact. She had long green hair, was about my age and height, and wore a tight black jumpsuit.

Printed on the sleeve was the word 'Kinomoto'.

She was wearing the jumpsuit I got during one of my temp jobs! I thought about this for a few seconds and looked down at what I was wearing, which was unusually scarce; my boxers.

"Drake."

Obviously, sometime during the night, Drake decided to sleep on the floor, separated, and assumed a human form. Unfortunately for me, she 'was' my clothes. No Drake, no clothes. So that's why I was so cold. Thankfully I had the presence of mind to wear my boxers underneath her, but still.

I knelt down next to Drake and gave her a shake. She didn't move. "Drake." I gave her another shake, "Drake! Wake the heck up!" I grabbed her by her shoulders and shook her. Nothing.

I sighed and opened the window to let in some cool air. I leaned out the window and stared at my town as the cold wind rushed into my face. It was then that a noticed the strange feeling coming from my forehead. It kinda felt like when you close your eyes and hold a finger a few inches away from your forehead; you know, kinda tingly. I wasn't sure what it was, but it wasn't going away. I silently closed the window and turned back to Drake, who was now starting to wake from her slumber. She let out a yawn for a few seconds and groggaly rubbed her eyes. She opened them and stared at me for a few seconds, then at my boxers, then back into my eyes.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry Master Touya! I-It's just that I couldn't sleep with you breathing while I was bonded so..."

"Why are you wearing my clothes?"

She blushed as she looked down at my jumpsuit, "I... needed something to wear..."

"Why didn't you just ask me if you wanted to separate. I could've given you my sleeping bag or something to sleep in."

"I would never dream of unconvincing you like that! You seemed awfully tired when you went to bed and I thought it inappropriate to pester you with such things."

"I'd much rather you had a decent night's sleep. Next time you want something, just ask."

She gave me a sheepish bow, "I apologize."

"And stop apologizing for everything!"

"Sorry."

"Ugh." I turned back to the window and once again felt that odd sensation sweep over me, "...and what the heck IS that?"

"What the heck is what?"

"I keep getting this odd feeling in my forehead, it's driving me nuts."

A smile formed across her face as she jumped to her feet, "Let me see." She rose her hand up to my forehead and once again turned herself into the formless black rubber as she re-bonded to my body. Her tendrils shot out and wrapped me up as she melted into my chest, slowly covering my entire body.

It took her a few seconds to finish, then she fall silent. Suddenly, she squirmed with exciment, Good news, Master Touya! You have just sensed your first Clow card! Let the hunt begin!

I glanced out the window, then back at Drake, "What do I do first?"

Well, you must at least have a battle costume! It's tradition! Give me something to work off of and I can create it for you.

Battle costume? I scanned my room and came across 'Drake's' jumpsuit lying on the floor. I picked it up and held it in front of me, "How's about my jumpsuit?"

...It's kinda plain. Don't you have anything more exciting?

"I like this suit! I spent a while summer cleaning fish tanks in this number!"

(sigh) Not very flashy, but I suppose it will do for now. Drake shifted herself into my black hooded jumpsuit in a huff, We simply HAVE to find something better, though! So plain! Where's the... the pizazz! The sex appeal!

"What?! I look _so_ sexy in this! I met my first steady girlfriend in this number, I'll have you know" My thoughts wandered briefly to Kaho. Ahhh... good summer.

I opened my window and poked my head out; below me was a two-story drop onto my driveway. I looked for alternate routes to escape and caught sight of a large tree sitting right outside of my window. Cautiously, I climbed out my window so that my feet were planted next to the shutters, then leaped off. I managed to grab hold of one of the tree's branches and slowly let myself slide down. When I had gained enough distance from my house I stopped and closed my eyes. My senses told me that the card was in a northwestern direction from my house: the penguin slide park.

I quietly dashed across the deserted streets until I reached the park. By this time my senses where going crazy, telling me that the clow card was very close. I took cover behind the fence and peeked over. The park was desolate and silent, only the sound of my breathing could be heard as I scanned the park for any sign of life. Confident that I was in no immediate danger, I rose to my feet and quietly made my way across the park. Suddenly, I spotted a flash of blue darting from tree to tree at incredible speed. It was coming closer.

I gritted my teeth and dug my hand into my pocket. I withdrew the Power card and held it between my index finger and middle finger. Following Drake's silent instructions, I kneeled on one knee and closed my eyes, holding the card in front of my face. Silently and quickly I chanted the release spell as the card ignited in a transparent black and blue flame. "Power, I call upon your limitless strength to aid me in the coming battle. Release yourself from your magical Prison and lend me your Power!" The card gave a bright flash then melted as it seeped into my skin. I could feel the added Power course through my veins as the spell neared completion. I opened my eyes, the flame dispelled, and the release spell was complete.

As my senses resurfaced I felt my sixth sense going crazy. I quickly jumped backward and pulled myself to my feet, narrowly missing a powerful blue fist as it smashed the concrete below it to bits. The Clow card quickly and gracefully flipped herself back onto her feet and assumed a battle stance.

I channeled all Power's energy into my fists and glared at the pigtailed Clow card, "Drake, which card is that?"

It looks like the Fight card, master Touya. She is adept in almost every form of martial arts known to man.

"Great." I drew my fists to bear and got ready to fight; With Power's strength flowing through me, I felt unstoppable. I was powerful, I was strong. If I just concentrated on the task at hand, she should lose to me. I broke the standoff and charged towards her; if all went as planned, then I was going to kick her ass.


	3. Learning Curve

**Chapter 2**

Whoa nellie. I was getting my ass kicked.

I mean, seriously, I hadn't landed a single hit in the entire fight! Every time I would go on the offensive she would effortlessly dodge with some gravity-defying stunt and continue to pummel me. At the moment she had me locked between her legs and was mercilessly punching my face over and over. I could faintly hear Drake's voice yelling commands, but it was hard to concentrate on, what with the fists, the... the pummeling and all.

After much struggling and several failed attempts, I finally managed to gather enough of my senses to quickly grab her by the torso and fling her into a concrete wall using the limitless strength Power had given me. While she recovered from the unexpected move, I took a deep breath and pulled myself to my feet. I took a few exasperated breaths in the hope that the lingering pain would subside and raised my fists in a boxer-stance.

It didn't take long for Fight to jump to her feet and charge me, but at least I was ready this time. She jumped some 6 feet into the air and spun herself in midair, delivering a forceful kick to my face. I took the opportunity to grab her other leg as she pulled out of the spin and toss her onto the ground. Before she could pull herself out of the crater in the ground I threw my fist into her chest and continued to punch her face repeatedly. Dust began to kick up as I hit her again and again, so I didn't notice when she locked her feet against my chest and pushed off, sending my flying through the glass window of a nearby sporting goods store.

I hit the hardwood floor with a scream as the shards of glass buried themselves into my back. I clenched my teeth as hard as I could and forced myself to sit up. Beyond the shattered window I could see the tattered fight card already on her toes and sprinting towards me. I turned to my side and spotted a metal baseball bat from the shattered window display lying next to me. I grabbed it by the handle and swung it into the airborne fight card. She flew through the wall and flipped herself midair, landing on all fours. I tried to hit her again but she was upon me before I had time to react. With blazing speed she tackled me and grabbed me by the collar of my jumpsuit. I attempted to pry loose her grip, but she managed to pull me into a roll before it could secure a hold of her and used the momentum to flip me out of the store and into a lamppost. I landed with a loud sandpaper-on-concrete sound as the shards of glass that were sticking out of my back forced themselves deeper. I gritted my teeth, grabbing angrily for my baseball bat as I dodged another quick punch from Fight. I ducked under her kick and hit her grounded leg with my bat before she had time to pull the other leg out of the kick. She pivoted and turned sideways, allowing me to grab her by the neck and plant her into the ground. She attempted to kick and punch, but I had pinned down her legs with mine and had my baseball bat horizontal to her shoulders, pinning her arms to the ground. She gave an angry, frustrated growl and glared at me.

I raised my fist to hit her again but hesitated when, for some odd reason, I the dream I had a few hours ago popped into my head. In the dream I, the fierce warrior, had killed the other me, the noble, intellectual me. The warrior carried a sword, a killing weapon. The intellectual carried at staff, a tool used to capture, not destroy. Perhaps if I took another approach to this card captoring business, I would avoid my own destruction, as a saw in the dream.

Drake's voice echoed through my head as she spoke her justifiable confusion, M-Master Touya, what are you waiting for? I'm sure she will admit defeat if you continue your attack!

The Fight's problem was her pride. She definitely did not like to be beaten by those she considers to be below her. If I beat her and she gave up, it would crush her vision of power and dishonor her title as the master of fighting. Kinda like if Steeve Erkle beat you up in font of your friends; you would never redeem yourself. I just needed to give her an opportunity to lose with honor. "You fight exceptionally well, Clow card. Perhaps you might be infested in lending your skill to our fight against the Clow Mistress?"

The Fight continued to glare at me.

"If I were to remove my restrains, would you then be willing to talk?"

She nodded slowly.

I cautiously withdrew my restrainments and waited for her to stand. Gracefully she picked herself off the ground and dusted herself off.

"Now, perhaps we can discuss this like civiliz-" My 'civilized discussion' was cut short when Fight drew back her foot and kicked me in the crotch as hard as she could. Obviously I had 'misjudged' her personality. With a squeak of unspeakable pain I fell to my knees. Fight bounded over my crumpled body and started to run. I quickly mustered as much willpower as I could and stood up. I turned to see Fight leaping over the gate to the park and making her way down the street. I concentrated Power's energy into my stamina and took off in hot pursuit, snatching my baseball bat off the ground as I passed it. Fortunately, Power gave me a distinct advantage over the exhausted and battle-worn Fight, and I was on her tail within minutes. I drew back the bat as I neared and swung. She nimbly dodged and the bat smashed into the pavement, creating a large crater in the street. Angrily I took another swing at the Fight, she attempted to move out of the way, but wasn't fast enough. The hit sent her into a brick wall, where she slowly fell from the wall and onto the ground with a thud. I tossed my bat aside and pulled her into a headlock before she had time to recover.

"That was quite the underhanded stunt you pulled back there."

She hissed, If you were looking for an honorable fight you should've left your cards out of this.

"IF this was going to be an honorable fight, you should've gone easy on the martial arts. How unbalanced would the fight have been had I not used the Power card?"

Power struggled to free herself, but I had a firm grip on her.

Very well, if you are willing to defeat me in a fair fight than I will give myself up freely.

I challenged her to a heated match of thumb wars. My years of intense practicing with Yuki throughout middle school gave me a distinct advantage, and I was soon to defeat her. After I had pinned her thumb down for 3 seconds, she humbly admitted her defeat.

Feh! I suppose you'll be needing all the help you can get.

With a smile she closed her eyes and quickly became enveloped in a bright light as she evaporated into card form. Swirling winds blew past me as her figure melted into a small, rectangular card. There was a brilliant burst of light as all the wind and light sucked itself into the center of the card and silenced, leaving only her black and bronze-colored colored Clow card behind.

Ragged, shaken, beaten, cut, bruised and most of all, tired, I picked the Clow card and my baseball bat off the ground and headed home.

=----------------------=

By the time I got back through my window it was already 6 in the morning. Fortunately, it was a Saturday, which meant that I could sleep in. I made a makeshift bed for Drake using a bunch of blankets, a pillow and my camping sleeping bag and waited for her to separate from me. She didn't.

"Hey Drake, I'm kinda tired, could you get off me so I can go to sleep?"

...I would love to, sir Touya, but I would appreciate it if you would avert you eyes for a few minutes.

"What? Why?"

As you can see, I'm not really... well... _wearing_ anything.

"Oh. Oh! Sorry." I felt myself blush as I turned towards the wall. Separating from Drake was a rather unpleasant experience. It's kinda like being wrapped up in a warm blanket on a cold winter night, only to have your covers evaporate into thin air. Except that it left you wearing nothing but your underwear. Chilly.

I waited for Drake to give me the 'okay' before turning around, seeing Drake fidgeting with one of my too-large t-shirts. I pull on a pair of pajama pants and opened my bed's covers, ready to pass out. Expecting the warm, soft covers to lull me to sleep, I was a little surprised when my back suddenly shot out in the most excruciating pain imaginable. I quickly jumped out of bed and stood up trying to figure out what happened.

"Oh Dear! Master Touya, you are wounded!"

At the sound of Drake's assessment, I glanced over my shoulder and into the mirror, where I could clearly see the many different bleeding cuts scattered across my back.

"The glass from the window! I completely forgot about that! I'm so sorry Master Touya!!" Drake clutched her blankets nervously, like she expected me to hit her or something.

"Why are you sorry? I was the one who got thrown into the window!"

"I should've shielded you from the glass, but I was too cowardly to take the hit."

I shook my head, "It's not your fault, Drake. I can't expect you to cushion every hit I take."

Drake nodded and looked up from the ground, "I guess we should get those wounds stitched up."

"I guess so." I peeked out through my door, checking the hallway for signs of life. "I'll get the bandages." Quietly, I made my way into the bathroom and dug up the bandages and a bottle of rubbing alcohol. I snatched some metal clips from the medicine cabinet and opened the door to leave. Expecting the barren, 6am hallway to be just as empty as I had left it, I found, quite to my surprise, my little sister's best friend, Tomoyo, standing outside clutching Sakura's little winged stuffed animal in her arms.

She stared at my face first, observing all the cuts and bruises I had sustained in the fight, then at the bundle of bandages in my arms, then she just sort of gazed wide-eyed at my bare chest. She blushed fiercely and squeezed the stuffed toy subconsciously as she quickly averted her gaze.

The stuffed animal's tail shot straight out and let out a squeak of pain.

Realizing that it had just broken its silence, it quickly covered its mouth with its stubby paws. It then realized that it had moved, and dropped its arms to its sides and fell limp.

Tomoyo quickly hid the yellow bear behind her back and met my surprised gaze. Panicked, she furiously attempted to concoct an excuse, but couldn't seem to get past the first few words before starting on a new one.

Slowly, I backed out of the bathroom, clutching my bandages and clips, "I won't ask if you don't ask."

She sheepishly nodded and walked into the bathroom, silently apologizing to the stuffed bear.

I waited for her to go into the bathroom and out of sight before turning around and heading back into my room. I found Drake waiting patiently on my floor, ready to conduct medieval surgery on my back. With a sigh, I dropped the supplies at her feet and laid stomach-down on my bed.

Her left arm melted and turned into a mass of black, shapeless goo. Slowly, the goo began connecting with other strands of the the semi-liquid, gradually forming a tangled web of 7 or 8 black tendrils.

She turned and met my horrified stare with a perky smile, "Don't worry, Master Touya, I'll be sure to make this as painless as possible!" She climbed on top of my bed and began to reach in and pull out each piece of shattered glass. It was quite an unpleasant experience, but I can't imagine it was any easier for one as selfless as Drake. She would silently apologize each time I would wince in pain; I could tell she was feeling guilty.

"I'm not mad at you, Drake."

She sighed as she carefully pulled out another blood-covered piece of glass, "Whether or not you are angered by my actions does not undo the damage that they have caused, Master Touya."

"Well this is a partnership, right?"

"Yes, I suppose so."

My shoulder blade twitched as her tendrils reached in for another shard, "Then you must agree that one member of a partnership should not be held at higher esteem than the other, right?"

"Yes."

"You're my partner, Drake, not my shield. If we're gonna share a body, we'll share equal amounts of punishment for our actions."

Drake pulled out the last piece of glass and cleaned the wounds with peroxide, "I just don't feel like I'm being of any help. I'm afraid I just don't know anything that could help you. I feel rather useless."

I sat up while she began wrapping the bandages around my midsection, "Give it time, you'll get used to it. It can't be easy jumping from medieval Europe to 21st Century Japan; it's going to take some getting used to. I'm sure that once you start feeling familiar with your surroundings, you'll realize that a lot of things in the world really aren't that different than they were 1000 years ago." I bowed in thanks and wished her a good night. Exhausted, I finally plopped my head on my pillow and fell asleep.

=---------=

I awoke at about 11 that morning, feeling rested and a lot better. Drake was already awake and sat cross legged on the floor, her eyes fixated on my computer's screen saver.

I yawned and pulled on one of my T-shirts, "'moring, Drake"

Drake snapped out of her daze and turned to me with a smile, "Good morning, Sir Touya! I hope you slept well."

"I did." I smirked and turned to the door, "I'll be right back."

Drake nodded and turned back to the screen saver.

I made my way down the stairs slowly, scanning my kitchen for Sakura or her friend. Lying on the table I could see a piece of paper under a paperweight. I took the note form the table and read it, 'Touya- Tomoyo and I went back to her house. I'll be staying there until about eight, so don't worry about dinner. -Sakura'

With my father off on his business trip, that basically left me the house to myself. I yelled up to Drake, telling her that it was okay to come down, then turned back to the kitchen and opened the pantry, hoping to find something for Breakfast. After sorting through the numerous bottles and boxes scattered inside, I managed to salvage the items necessary for pancakes and plopped them on the counter. As I began to cook, Drake began to wander around my house, mesmerized by every shiny object scattered about the house.

She eventually made it back into the kitchen, where she took a seat at the table and began examining with a pair of chopsticks. She politely waited until I placed a dish with about 8 pancakes in the middle of the table. I took one and started eating while she just stared.

I slowly swallowed and met Drake's gaze, "Feel free to have some breakfast."

Drake turned her gaze to the pancakes, where she slowly and carefully took one in her hands and placed it on her plate. She then picked up the chopsticks and aquardly tried to hold them between her fingers. Obviously, she had been out of practice with eating utensils for quite some time.

I reached over and took the chopsticks out of her hands, "You don't need chopsticks to eat pancakes."

She stared blankly at me.

I held the half-eaten pancake in front of me and pointed to it, "This is a pancake."

Enlightened on the subject, Drake smiled, held the pancake up to her mouth, and took a bite. While she began happily chomping away at her pancake, I glanced back down and began to finish mine. Strangely enough, when I reached for another pancake, I found there to be none left. Puzzled, I looked back at Drake, who was simply inhaling my pancakes. I mean, she was eating nearly at a Yuki pace here! She would basically rip one in half, throw it into her mouth and swallow. I don't think I saw more than 3 or 4 chews the entire meal.

I watched in amazement as she finished her last one, at which point she politely wiped her mouth and smiled at me.

"Drake!" I shook my head in disbelief, "What the heck was that!?"

Drake frowned and gave me a confused look, "Did I do something wrong?"

I just gazed at her with a dumbstruck look on my face.

Slowly Drake's gaze drifted to the empty plate in the middle of the table. Her expression turned to that of horror as she blushed a deep, deep red, "Oh no!! I'm so sorry Master Touya! How could I be so thoughtless?"

My gaze darted from her mouth to the plate in back, "W... How?!"

She bowed her head sheepishly, "Us magical creatures don't get to eat much, so when the opportunity arises, it is very difficult to resist food."

"Well how much CAN you eat?"

She shook her head, "There's really no limit, it's not like we have a stomach."

This really rose more questions than it had answered, but I decided not to pursue the subject. I picked up my plates and placed them inside the sink, "Did you like them?"

"Oh yes, Master Touya. Very much."

I smiled, "At least someone likes my cooking."

I was still kinda hungry so I poured myself some lucky charms, then handed Drake the rest of the box. She smiled and started chowing down while the two of us plopped ourselves in front of the TV. I turned on the television to the sound of a reporter's voice as she reviewed the warpath Fight and I had created during our battle. I felt a little guilty for not being more careful as the camera panned across the trail of shattered windows and concrete, but I suppose a certain level of recklessness was required if I was to capture Fight. Drake just stared in bewilderment at the Television, not knowing what to make of the bizarre contraption. She soon lost interest, however, and began eating again.

I smiled and glanced down at my cereal for another bite. It was then I noticed that the fork I was holding was melting! Surprised, I dropped it to the ground and stared wide-eyed at my hands. I could feel the temperature in my hands rapidly climbing, as if I had stuck them inside an oven and turned it on. I shoved my hands into the milk in my cereal in a vain attempt to cool them down, but the milk just began to boil.

"Drake!! Help!"

Drake jumped out of her seat and came running over, examining my hands as I pulled them out of the milk. I could see what looked like feint black and blue flames radiating from the backside of my hand.

Drake frowned, "This isn't good."

"I know that!! How can I stop it?!" I ran into the kitchen and shoved my hands into the ice tray in my freezer, keeping the heat down for at least a little while.

"Your negative energy has been increasing exponentially since we bonded. I guess there's just not enough room for it any more, and it's trying to escape."

"Great."

Drake extended herself around my arms and covered my hands with her body as she bonded. Slowly, the temperature lowered and a black and blue aura of semi-transparent flame surrounded both hands.

Drake pulled away from my body and pulled her jumpsuit back on, "It looks like your dormant magical abilities are starting to awaken. I've managed to cut off all the blood going to your hands, so your arms will now be running off or your surplus negative energy."

I examined my skin as it began to become pale around my arms, "So my arms will use magic and not blood to function."

"Yes."

I frowned when I found that my hands had gone numb and couldn't feel anything, "I can't just walk around with these flame things coming off my hands! Can't I cover them with something?"

Drake picked a pair of tight workout gloves out from my mess of camping stuff I had left on the counter. She chanted a quick spell and slipped them on my hand, "These should help."

I turned off the TV and dumped my bowl of lucky charms in the sink, "So I'll have to wear these everywhere?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Drake put her hand on my shoulder, "Don't worry, you'll get used to it."

This whole card captoring thing was starting to become a lot less appealing than it had been at the get go. I sighed and opened the door to the outside, where it was already beginning to become dark as the storm clouds moved in.

"I'm gonna go for a walk."

=------------=

I sulked down the street with my hands in my pockets as the raindrops began to fall. I wasn't really heading in any particular direction; I suppose I just needed some time to cool down and think about whether or not I still wanted to do this. I mean, if it was going to be detrimental to my health...

I turned the corner onto the main street, where I came across a bus station with a single awaiting passenger. He was about my age and had messy brown hair. It didn't seem all that odd at first glance, until I noticed that even though he was sitting in the middle of the pouring rain, he was still perfectly dry. As I came closer I noticed a large section of the back of his head was spilt open, revealing the scarred remains of his cranium. Obviously, this person was dead.

I took a seat next to him and shook all the rain out of my spikey black hair, "So... What happened?"

The kid jumped in surprise, not expecting anyone living to be saying anything to him. He shrugged and stared at the cement ground, "Car accident. My whole family died. Only THEY got to move on, I'm still stuck here."

The rain began to let up as the dark clouds slowly moved away, "Any idea why?"

He frowned, "No clue. I've been walking around here for the past few weeks trying to figure it out." He glanced at my leather gloves, "What're those for?"

I sighed, "The supernatural world has been being a jerk to me lately."

He gave me a confused look, then smiled, "Oh. You mean that whole Clow- magic thing."

I stared at him in surprise, "You know about the Clow cards?"

"Sure. A lot of dead people know about it. It's about the only form of entertainment this sleepy town has to offer. Great fight last night, by the way."

I suppose I was using most of my magic for the fight, so I really wasn't looking for ghosts at the time, "So I suppose I'm sort of a celebrity among the deceased in this town."

"You betcha."

I stared at my gloves and watched as the raindrops hit my pale, numb arms, "I'm not really sure if I still want to keep doing this..."

"Ah com'on. Don't tell me you're wimping out already! Jesus, you've only had one fight!"

"Yeah I know... but I have school and other stuff..."

He scoffed, "Oh please, don't give me that crap. From the looks of it, you're not the only one who's concerned about getting those cards. Are you going to let the Clow mistress win without a fight?"

"Without a fight? I barely made it out of the last fight in one piece!" I lifted part of my shirt, showing the bandages lined across my stomach and lower back.

"You probably just started out on one of the harder cards. I mean, now that you have all of Fight's skills in addition to Power's strength, the rest of the cards'll be a synch!"

I sighed, "I suppose so. I'd hate to let Power and the others down."

The brown-haired kid patted my back, "Good luck."

I stuffed my hands back into my pockets and bid the waiting spirit goodbye. The dark clouds moved back in and it began to rain again. There was something off about the weather today. It seemed like the storm was just moving around the town, not traveling in any particular direction. I sensed a Clow card.

Without Drake or my cards with me, I wouldn't stand much of a chance in a fight. I increased my pace and started walking faster, shaking the feeling. I would have to come back later for it.

When I returned home I found my house to littered with empty boxes of food. Everything from cheese-it boxes to sacks of flour had been devoured and tossed aside. I followed the trail into the living room, where Drake sat holding a half-eaten frozen pizza and watching Mst3k on my TV. It amazed me how she was able to consume several times her own body weight, and not gain a single pound. It was like she was a bottomless pit!

I was too wet and cold to argue, so I plopped myself next to Drake and flipped through the channels.

Drake bit off another piece of the frozen pizza and started making a crunching sound as she chewed.

"You know you're supposed to heat that up, right?"

Drake swallowed and glanced at the packaging strewn onto the floor below her, "I thought it tasted a bit off."

I took another look at the trail of food products that lead from my fridge and into the living room, "Are you always hungry?"

Drake smiled, "Oh no. I don't need to eat food, I just enjoy the taste."

"Well, I think you've had enough to eat for one day." I pried the frosted pizza out of her hands and tossed it back into the freezer.

I really wasn't in the mood to clean up the mess right now; I could get it later. I frowned as I glanced at the window, seeing that the rain had only worsened since I had last seen it, "You wanna go see a movie or something?"

Drake stared blankly at me, "Moo-vee?"

"It kinda like the TV here, except... bigger."

Drake glanced around the living room, "Where is it?"

I shrugged, "Not far, within walking distance."

Drake's gave me a wide-eyed look, "Y-you mean... outside?"

"Of course."

"Do you think it's wise for me to leave the house?"

"Don't worry about it. I'll just say you're a friend if anyone asks."

She smiled, "Thank you, Master Touya!" She happily jumped out of her seat and waited patiently by the door as I flipped off the TV.

I gave Drake my sneakers and guided her though the shoe-tying process, then used one of my old pairs for myself. I scribbled Sakura a note and locked the door behind us.

=----------=

The movie got out pretty late; about 7ish. Drake had been thoroughly amazed by about every aspect of the trip, especially the food. I think she spend more time happily chowing down on popcorn than watching the movie. Whatever makes her happy, I guess. The rain hadn't let up while we were in the theater, meaning that I would have to find and stop this card soon, or the town might be flooded. I put up the umbrella and held it over Drake as we started back home.

As we passed Sakura's school I started getting an extremely strong feeling from my sixth sense. I stopped at stared at the deserted school grounds. It felt like a Clow card all right, but I sensed something else. Something... not unlike myself.

"What's wrong, Master Touya?"

I folded up the umbrella and started towards the school, "We've got card Captoring to do."

We waited until we were inside before Drake bonded, excreting both her and my clothing during the process. I folded her jumpsuit and my shirt and pants and placed them next to a nearby locker. I had Drake carry the baseball bat I had found earlier inside of her, anticipating a fight. Being as formless and liquidly as she was, Drake bonded while leaving the bat on the ground.

As she shaped herself into my battle costume, I picked up the bat and started down the hall, following my sixth sense to the card. I eventually came to locker, from which the feeling was originating. How, and why, would a Clow card manage to cram itself into a locker? My question was answered when I opened the locker to find a tiny glowing dot starting right back at me.

Be careful, Master Touya. Do not let it touch you.

I scoffed, "What, you're saying that this little insect is a Clow card?"

Indeed. It is the Tiny card, and it is more dangerous than it appears.

I stared at the card again for a few seconds, then quickly attempted to stomp on it with my sneakers. Unfortunately, like most insects, it was pretty fast and leaped out of the way, jumping over me and onto the floor. I tried grabbing up but it took off pretty fast and started jumping down the hallway and into one of the math rooms.

I rounded the corner and jumped over a few of the desks as I closed in on the miniature menace. It quickly made its way towards and open window, leaping from desk to desk as it neared. I bounded over the last row of desks and caught it in mid-air as it tried to leap out the window. Thankfully, my leather gloves prevented me from touching it, and I started to chant the sealing spell.

It was then that the odd feeling that was bugging me suddenly re-appeared, driving my magical senses up the wall. I stopped the spell and my eyes shot to the now-occupied doorway. Standing there with a rather large sword in hand and a confused look on his face was none other than the little Chinese twip himself, Li.


End file.
